HEAT oven to 350°F (or 325°F for nonstick cookie sheet). PLACE cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. BAKE 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown.
We don’t blame you. The good news: You can freeze cookie dough rolls and Ready to Bake! ™ cookies up to two months in advance! Take our place-and-bake cookies straight from the freezer to the oven and simply give them two to three minutes of additional cook time.
When baking frozen cookie dough, you do not have to thaw the cookie dough. Simply place the frozen, pre-scooped cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes longer than the original recipe recommends. That’s it!
Take the dough balls straight from the freezer and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Be sure to space them however your recipe indicates to allow for some spreading. Bake as usual, allowing a couple extra minutes to accommodate the colder dough and oven temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place frozen cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-13 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
To use: Defrost the unrolled cookie dough in the refrigerator overnight. You can then roll out the dough, cut out the cookies, and bake them according to the recipe’s specifications. If you’ve already cut out and frozen the cookies, simply pop them in the oven.
FROM FROZEN: If baking straight from the freezer, preheat the oven to 20-25 degrees LESS than the called-for temperature. (i.e. If the recipe calls for the cookies to bake at 350, reduce the temperature to 325-330 degrees).
Anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. The longer you chill the dough, the more flavor will develop. The flour will also absorb more of the moisture so the thicker and chewier the final texture will be.
Prep Instructions. HEAT oven to 350°F (or 325°F for nonstick cookie sheet). PLACE cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. BAKE 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown.
How do you defrost cookie dough quickly? A quick way to defrost cookie dough is to use a short chef knife to slice the cookie dough into cross sections. Place the frozen cookie dough slices on a microwave safe plate and nuke for 10 seconds on the defrost setting.
Can you bake frozen dough?
You can either let the dough completely defrost overnight in the fridge or for a couple hours at room temperature and bake just as the recipe originally instructed. OR, if you’re impatient like me, you can bake from frozen.
Cookie Dough Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 – 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cover your baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Drop cookies on the baking sheet.
- Gently tap the cookie down to get a good spread and circular shape.
- Allow 2” between each cookie in order to avoid them spreading into each other.
Place one baking sheet at a time onto center rack of preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, still have pale tops, and are soft in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not overbake! They will firm up more during cooling.)
The taste will remain, but the cookies will not spread as large. If you want the spread to be the same, we recommend thawing the dough for 24 hours in the fridge. Some cookie doughs just don’t freeze well.
Put a frozen cookie ball into the microwave for 30 seconds it emerges an ACTUAL cookie, micro-baked to perfectly soft and gooey with even a little crispiness around the edge. It doesn’t even matter what kind of cookie dough it is! Any type of frozen cookie dough, popped into the microwave makes a real cookie.
Here’s how you can improve premade cookie dough or dough from a mix.
- Add spice to your dough.
- Punch up the flavor of your cookies by adding extracts.
- Before baking, roll the dough in a garnish of your choice.
- Stir nuts right into the dough for an added crunch.
- Add in your favorite savory snacks, like chips or pretzels.
Can you put Pillsbury cookie dough in the microwave? Pillsbury does not recommend cooking their dough in a microwave.
Softening cookie dough in the microwave
The quickest way to soften cookie dough is to use the microwave. Put your dough into a microwave-safe container. Set your microwave to 30% power and heat the dough in 10-second intervals. During each break, knead the dough to see how soft it is.
Yes, most cookie dough, with the exception of meringue, can be frozen. Here’s how: Follow the recipe as directed. Freeze cookie dough up to 3 months.
Place the solid and cold cookie dough balls into a labeled zipped-top bag– large or small depending on how much dough you have. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer. Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months.
Editor: Jen, we would probably vote for cookie dough, since nothing beats a truly fresh-baked cookie. But we would recommend scooping the dough and freezing it solid on cookie sheets, then sealing the frozen in lumps in bags for longer storage.
So long as they end up evenly flat, that is; squashing cookies haphazardly under your palm means they may bake and brown unevenly. Still, if you care deeply (or even casually) about the look of your cookies, you can take the flattening step as an opportunity for enhancement. The bottom of a glass works fine, it’s true.
Most recipes recommend chilling cookie dough for several hours in the refrigerator, but the good news is that you can use your freezer in a pinch. Better Homes and Gardens says that you can freeze cookie dough for one-fourth of the recommended refrigeration time with good results.
Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread. In addition, the sugar in the dough gradually absorbs liquid.
For those ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookies, 375 degrees Fahrenheit is your sweet spot. It’s the perfect temperature to ensure super crispy exterior edges, while leaving the center slightly underdone and, thus, doughy and fudgey.
Bake in a 400° oven until cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center (break one open to check), 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool.
Bake at 375 degrees F until golden and crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside, 10 to 12 minutes. For super-chewy cookies: Substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour.
How do you unfreeze dough?
Fill a large bowl with cool water and place the bag of pizza dough in it. The dough should fully defrost in one to two hours. (You can also use a bowl of warm water, but make sure it’s not hot water, otherwise it will end up cooking the dough.)
I just use a sharp-bladed knife or a sharp-edged scoop to slice thin layers of dough, which immediately thaw, and roll them up and bake them. The scoop should have a thin, sharp edge, like a melon baller or disher, or if you have one, a meat scraper.
How long does it take for frozen dough to rise?
Place frozen dough in your refrigerator 6 to 12 hours before using. Dough will not rise, but will be thawed and ready to use. Set dough out to rise for 2 to 3 hours, until dough is 1” above pan. Actual time depends on the temperature of your kitchen.
Will dough rise after being frozen?
Will Dough Rise After Being Frozen? It is possible for frozen dough to rise, or proof, after you remove it from the freezer. If the dough went through its first rise before freezing, there is still enough life left in the yeast for the dough to rise again—as long as you didn’t overproof the dough during the first rise.
Preheat a regular oven or toaster oven to 350˚F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place frozen cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Cool for 1 to 2 minutes on the baking sheet before removing and devouring.
If you’re baking your cookies at 325 degrees, you’ll need to bake them longer than you would at 350 degrees. This is because, as previously noted, the lower temperature of the oven will result in the cookies baking at a slower pace. Some sources say to bake cookies at 325 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
Preheat oven 10 to 15 minutes before baking the first sheet or pan of cookies. Check oven temperature with an oven thermometer. When testing for doneness, your best guides for cookies are time and appearance. Always use a timer.
9 Tips to Remember
- Use Real Butter and Keep It Cool. The low melting point of butter may be what makes your cookies flat.
- Use Shortening.
- Chill Dough Twice.
- Use Parchment Paper or a Silicone Liner.
- Measure Precisely.
- Use Fresh Baking Soda.
- Use Optional Add-Ins.
- Buy an Oven Thermometer.
Cookies should (almost) always be baked on the middle rack of the oven. The middle rack offers the most even heat and air circulation which helps cookies bake consistently.
Open up the oven, pull out the rack a bit, and push the sides of the cookie very lightly with a spatula or your finger. If the edge stays firm and doesn’t fall inwards, then your cookies are done. If you leave a noticeable indention, then your cookies likely need a few minutes more in the oven.
Lining a baking sheet when making cookies: Not only will the parchment help cookies bake more evenly, the non-stick quality also helps prevent them from cracking or breaking when lifting them off the sheet. Decorating home-baked goods: Parchment paper makes the perfect wrapper for baked goods.
Microwave Just Cookies
- Scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough, and use your palms to form it into a ball.
- Microwave on high for 15-50 seconds, until the cookie flattens out an is covered in little craters, like the one in the done photo above.
- Let your cookie cool for 5 minutes before serving.
What happens if you microwave dough?
As the water continues to steam in the closed microwave, it creates a warm, humid environment, similar to that of a bread dough proofer. The warmer and more humid the air is, the faster the bread should rise. The dough is ready when it has almost doubled in size, which should take about 30 to 45 minutes.
Place a piece of parchment in the air fryer basket. Place 3-4 precut cookie dough or small ball of cookie dough on top of the parchment. Cook at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes. I recommend checking on the cookies at the 5 minute mark and add 1-2 minutes if needed.
Add in extra mix-ins or toppings.
Add extra mix-ins or toppings like white chocolate chips, candies, pretzels, or nuts to break up the flavor profile of the dough.
4. Stovetop Cookies
- Heavily grease the bottom of the pan.
- Roll dough into balls and place it onto the pan.
- Flatten the ball of dough with a spatula and cover the pan with the lid.
- Cook for around five minutes.
- Flip and flatten the cookie once more.
- Cook for around five more minutes.
Just peel, slice, place and bake. There’s no mixing, no measuring, no mess. Just the same wholesome goodness you’ve come to expect from Pillsbury. Serve chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven or in your favorite dessert bars, you can even eat the dough uncooked.
Pillsbury’s pre-cut holiday cookies made three ways: in an oven, a toaster oven, and our office microwave.
Microwaving them. If you cover your cookies with a wet paper towel and nuke them for a few seconds, they should soften up enough to eat. The problem is they will get really hot and melty.
So how do you fix dry cookie dough? If the problem is not enough liquid, add more of the called-for liquid in the recipe. For example, if the recipe uses milk, add 1 Tablespoon of milk. Add more until the cookie dough softens.
When baking frozen cookie dough, you do not have to thaw the cookie dough. Simply place the frozen, pre-scooped cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes longer than the original recipe recommends. That’s it!
And if you want to freeze cookie dough for later, both our cookie dough rolls and our Pillsbury™ Ready to Bake! ™ cookie dough can be frozen up to 2 months in advance. You’ll need to defrost the rolls of cookie dough before slicing and baking, but our Ready to Bake!
Freezing cookies is easy and they taste great after you thaw them.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place frozen cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-13 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
Anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. The longer you chill the dough, the more flavor will develop. The flour will also absorb more of the moisture so the thicker and chewier the final texture will be.
Rolling the dough creates an easier reference of size. If a recipe calls for flattening with a sugar coated glass or fork, I’ll still roll them first to ensure that the pressed cookies are the same size. Rolling the dough into equal size balls also gives each cookie the same surface area.
Plastic Wrap—Preventing freezer burn is all about keeping the air out. Once you’ve sandwiched all your cookies with parchment paper, wrap a sheet of plastic wrap over the container and then place the lid over it. The plastic wrap helps to make the container air-tight.
Icebox cookies, also known as refrigerator cookies, are slice-and-bake cookies. The dough is formed into a log, chilled in the refrigerator (also known as an icebox), and then sliced into rounds before baking.
Most cookie doughs freeze well for up to 3 months. Remember to write the date, type of cookie, and baking instructions on the outside of the package. Drop Cookies: Shape the cookie dough into balls as you would when preparing to bake them. Place them on a silicone- or parchment-lined sheet.
If you absolutely need to bake more than one batch at a time for an event, holiday baking, etc– rotate the baking sheets from the top rack to bottom rack once halfway through the baking process.
One of the most common reasons why cookies didn’t spread out in the oven is because you added too much flour. Cookies rely on the perfect ratio of butter to flour in order to spread just the right amount when baked. It’s very easy to over measure flour when using cup measurements.
Cold eggs won’t make your batch of cookies taste or look horrible, but taking a little extra time to bring them to room temperature will get you fluffier cookies. If you have some time to kill before baking, simply let the eggs sit on the counter for no more than two hours.